Radio Joe Zenzola

Same old Charles...Packer for life

by Radio Joe,posted Feb 17 2013 11:16AM

I don’t know if Packer fans realize this, but Ted Thompson stepped out of his bounds on April 26, 2006. We know Ted well, right? The guy doesn’t make a myriad of free agent signings, let alone top tier free agents. After one year in the books, though, as general manager, Thompson made one of the biggest free agent signings of his tenure. Inking him to a seven year, 52.7 million dollar deal, the Packers took a small gamble on a player that some believe may have already been washed up with the Oakland Raiders. His name was Charles Woodson.

The Green and Gold were the only franchise in the NFL to offer him a contract. Woodson made it clear that he did not want to play for Green Bay, but in the end, he chose not to turn the contract down. The decision was a life changer…

Woodson worked his magic game in and game out. From what I’ve seen out of #21, he was by far one of the best secondary players out there. The guy was a hawk on the football field, ready to strike for an incoming pass or to nail a quarterback to the ground.

Although he broke his collar bone in Super Bowl XLV, Woodson prevented Steelers WR Mike Wallace from catching a deep pass that could have changed the course of the game. His halftime speech to his teammates thereafter resonated well. The Packers would go on to win a thrilling Super Bowl, after a magic carpet ride nobody saw coming. He’s the definition of an elite player…and a standup guy both on and off the field. (Not to mention, the guy always dressed nice before putting on the pads).

A couple of C-Wood’s famous quotes…

“If the President don’t want to come to see us at the Super Bowl, we’re going to see him!”

“Same old Jay”

“I’ve been blessed with talent and wanting to be great. If you have those things, the sky is the limit.”

He was a leader among men. He’s definitely in the Packer Hall of Fame, and I expect him to retire as a Green Bay Packer. I also hope he makes the NFL Hall of Fame…